Bkennedy's SAS and Rebuild Thread | Page 135 | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Bkennedy's SAS and Rebuild Thread

As some of you know, I am working on building a parts list for a shortened Dana 44, long radius arm with coil overs SAS. 5:13 gears to match my rear axle and an ARB, maybe an electric locker. I have a pretty good list so far. At the same time, I am going to swap out the rear drum brakes for discs off of a 99 Explorer.

Please note: The plan is to keep this project as simple as possible with mostly off the shelf parts. I am not a fabricator, just a decent welder with a what I would consider the minimum required tools (chop saw, cut off wheels, air tools, welder, etc.), who likes doing his own work. Your opinions are welcome, but what I really need is technical advice. I have been thinking about this for several years and now have the time and cash to make it happen. Please keep on topic with your advice and don't go off on a side track about how you would do it as a four-link, or caged arms, or leave the axle full-width because that is not what I want. I want a simple-ish set up that works.
 



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I got the speaker install finished today. It sounds so much better with lots more bass than before. Much more depth of sound. I have the amp gain set to half, but I haven't turned it up all the way because its too loud for my garage and neighbors. I am going to take it for a drive tomorrow or Wednesday, or both and play around with the settings, but it sounds pretty good to me right now.

Thanks for the help everyone
 



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YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I usually use Depeche Mode album to fine tune my audio settings, if you can make the highs and lows sound right to Depeche Mode then all music, rock and roll to techno, jazz or classical will all sound great.
 






Never thought of Depeche Mode as tuner music. I was using the B-52's yesterday.
 






I usually use Depeche Mode album to fine tune my audio settings,

Shh... You better not let anyone else know or they will make you turn in your Idaho prepper card ;) :p
 






Is Devo acceptable down there in AZ? I always remember Ricks fav band is devo..........Now whip it! Whip it good.......I have been listening to DM since 1981!!! I was 8!! The preppers will all come to me for music advice after the end times, I will still have vinyl discs we called "records" to educate them all about the 80's and 90's music :)
 






...and your license plate will read "STUKN80S" :bounce:
 






And 410Fortune will start a new war known historically as the Vinyl Wars.. Millions will die, vinyl records will become the only currency, it will be awesome...
 






I took the Explorer for a drive today because I had to go to my parent's house anyways, and then went to meet my daughter because she wanted me to look at a condo she is interested in purchasing. I stopped twice on the way to my parent's house to adjust the amp, and again when I got there. I realized the rear speakers projected more when seated in the driver seat because your head is closer to them. I adjusted the gain for the rear down and the front up. I was listening to Queensryche while working on the electrical in the RV garage with the rear of the Explorer facing the garage about 25 feet away with all four doors and the rear hatch open. I realized the rear doors were blocking the front speakers, so I closed them. Much better sound from the front component speakers and the rears projecting through the open rear hatch.

Then, on the way to meet my daughter, I stopped one more time to reduce the bass output, and adjust the rear up a tiny bit. Before I drove home I adjusted the gain a tiny bit. The gain for the front speakers is about half and the rear is slightly less than half. Even better. The sound quality is so much better than before its hard to realize how loud it is. Don't need to turn it up to 11 anymore.

I also messed with my rear Rancho shocks adjusters. That is my problem, when I have options I keep messing with them. I had them set on 7 and tightened them up one notch thinking the little bounce I feel in the rear is from the shocks being too soft. Bounce got worse. I backed them off to 6 and it went away.
 






I know I'm getting old when you start saying Sarah is going to buy a condo...😳
 






I know I'm getting old when you start saying Sarah is going to buy a condo...😳
Oh, yeah, you are getting old. The rest of us are in stasis.
 






Sarah buying a condo is crazy. I remember her tearing thru the desert in your explorer with a pale white dad in the passenger seat.
 






I remember her in a car seat in the Explorer.
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I've had a small crack in the Explorer windshield for about a year now. last off-road trip it grew to about 18" so I had the windshield replaced today.
 






I was planning on driving over to my parent's house to work on the landscaping lighting today. I was driving the Explorer and was where I needed to turn left to go to their house and right to go for a dirt drive. I said screw it, and turned right, I can always work on the lights tomorrow. Drove about 150 miles, maybe 30 in the dirt. Didn't lock the front hubs, but still it was dirt. I drove through Julian and entered the dirt forest road to Oraflame Canyon. Left onto Rodriguez Canyon Trail through this barb wire gate
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and into Anza-Borrego State Park where I ran into this sign.
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This is the only spot on the entire trail where it a little flexy, so semi-flex shots..
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Weird old block building on side of trail
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Drove down into the high desert and it was about 100* today. Stopped for lunch and got the awning out as I couldn't locate any decent shade.
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On the way out, turned north onto S-2 which runs through Shelter Valley. Made a off-road detour through Blair Valley, then Little Blair, then back to S-2 to SR-79 and back home. All the trails are already getting overgrown, and there were critters everywhere. I saw a coyote and dozens of hares and antelope squirrels. Explorer doesn't have nearly as much road noise after installing the sound deadener in the cargo area and onto the inside of the rear quarters. I am thinking at least 50% reduction in tire and road noise.

I did not make one adjustment to the amp and listened to several different types of music; rock, 80's rock, grunge rock, classical and some country. It all sounded great. Time to reinstall the interior panel. The Explorer is such a cruiser on the highway. The only complaint I can come up with is its gutless on grades. I had a really good time today. Sure beat working on old landscape lighting.
 






Brian, how thick of plywood did you use for your console? Is it half inch? I have one mocked up in cardboard right now.
 






Brian, how thick of plywood did you use for your console? Is it half inch? I have one mocked up in cardboard right now.
1/2" is what I used. Its thick enough to be rigid, hold a screw and glue, the ends can be rounded with a router, and thin enough so it doesn't take up all the available space. I used a higher grade plywood the first time. When I rebuilt it, I realized that since I am covering it with a thin foam layer then vinyl, it doesn't matter what grade you use. Pick something in the middle of the plywood quality range.
 






Been up in Kingman, Arizona for a few days. Staying until Monday. The dash AC went out about half way up here and it was a hot drive. The generator is running rough and I don't want to run the roof AC with it while moving until I can get it serviced. Since I am staying in a RV park I didn't figure to need it, and this trip was a little bit of a spur of the moment type thing. I will be leaving before sunrise on Monday to hopefully get mostly home before it gets too hot. Its about a six hour drive with one gas/food stop.

The Explorer seems to be running very well. It did get a little hot when I drove up into the mountains but it was a long, steep and slow grade.
 






Dash ac went out!! SUCKS to happen in AZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Glad at least the sploder is happy!
 






Take the explorer to Peach Springs, and drive it to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
 






I might head over to check out Peach Springs tomorrow. Not sure, its hot and windy right now. Besides, I will have lots of time to explore this area. I just went into escrow on 46.5 acres of near pristine land about half a mile down a dirt road off Stockton Hill Road 15 miles north of Kingman. It does have a old road up through the middle and about 2/3 of the way into the property, but that's it. Its clean, no trash except for cow turds. I have been there every day since I have been in town at different times of the day. Sunsets and evenings are amazing there, so quiet all I can hear is my tinnitus. The sun sets into the mountains behind the property. Its bordered on 2.5 sides by state trust land and is one of the last properties of that size in the area that is not developed. It has a well that hasn't been checked since 2004 so that's on the list. Also has electrical and telephone on the property.
Road on property looking down the valley (Falcon Valley)
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When I first looked at it, it didn't seem like that big of a property based upon the property boundary flags. I thought it would look bigger and their boundary flags didn't match the county property maps. I went back there yesterday and at great personal risk (exactly how I worded it to the realtor) found the survey markers that are way past what they flagged. The property extends up into a small valley ringed with the Cerbat Mountains. The owner has only been there twice and has no idea what that property is like. I have been looking at property up here for about ten years and finally found what I want at a time I can afford to make the purchase, so jumped in with both feet. There are even wild horses in the area.

First thing I need to do is improve the drive way and do some dirt work to cut a pad to park the RV on for camping. That will give me a good idea of how much work it would be to cut a pad big enough for a house. Would also install a gate and fence off the lower side that faces the highway. It would effectively close off the rest of the valley. I think I will start on that after it cools off a little, maybe early October. Figure to camp on it several times a year before deciding if I want to build a house there and where on the property to build.

Sunset over the mountains. The property extends about 1/3 of the way up the hill.
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Looking east down the dirt road
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Looking north, the lot goes all the way to the foothills
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Looking west up the valley into the Cerbat Mountains
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Looking south. The one house up here on the same level is behind a low hill that is in the picture bottom left. Big southwestern house with matching barn. Hard to see, but there is a hill there. The hill is part of the parcel I am purchasing so no one can build there.
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The town of Chloride is directly west over the mountain range. One canyon up, Vock Canyon, goes into the mountain off-road trails. From what I understand, you can off-road over the mountain to Chloride from there. My old graveyard partner Mike was happy that I located a bunch of quartz rocks up towards where the valley narrows. He wants to metal detect the entire parcel before I do any shooting up there. The wife was having trouble understanding the size of the parcel until I told her its 155 of our home's lots.
 



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